


in the way of happiness

by ballerinaroy



Series: together or not at all [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Career Change, Love, Multi, Polyamory, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23821168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballerinaroy/pseuds/ballerinaroy
Summary: After quite a bit of convincing from the people she loves, Hermione makes a career change.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley
Series: together or not at all [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632493
Comments: 9
Kudos: 155





	in the way of happiness

Hermione often thought back to their villa on the beach. The hours of certainty where her only worry was getting too much sun or become too sore. The ease of being with her best friends, her partners. But then, as their getaway drew to a close the paper had come, their love affair plastered all over the wizarding headlines and her fantasy ended.

“Are you going in today?” Ron asked uncertainly as he handed passed out their morning tea.

Weeks into their punishment of daring to love one another and no end in sight. Hermione, still burrowed under the covers and facing away, could feel both of them staring at her.

“I suppose I have to, don’t I?” she said shortly, forcing herself to push back the covers, sitting up to their concerned eyes.

“You don’t-“ Harry started but stopped when she sent a well-practiced glare his way.

“You didn’t have to either,” she pointed out. “And yet you did. I have the same right don’t I?”

They were sharing one of those knowing looks that drove her mad to not be inside of.

“Hermione,” Ron said in a _be reasonable_ voice only she didn’t want to be reasonable. They hadn’t quit their jobs, why should she entertain such a thought?

“I’m going to get ready,” she said before they could start in on her.

At last, she threw back the covers and snatched her tea with a short _thanks_ , darting into the other room. Away from the people who knew her best and were only trying to care for her. This was something they couldn’t solve for her, no more than they could make the world stop attacking her for daring to be in love.

“Hermione! I was wondering where you were. The meeting was an absolute mess.”

Even after a year of knowing her, Hermione couldn’t help it. Her heart raced whenever Andromeda walked in a room and it took her a moment to put away her wand. Andromeda never seemed to hold it against her, and Hermione arranged her face into a smile, rising from her desk to embrace her.

They separated and Hermione’s expression turned apologetic. “You know I’m not on the committee anymore. Thought it’d be better not to have my name associated with it, given what I did.”

Andromeda frowned and waved her statement away. “For now, perhaps. These things blow over, just give it time.”

But Hermione wasn’t convinced. Back two months and still ridiculed whenever she dared leave the annex. Anything she tried touching was snatched from her and she’d been reduced to revising drafts for typos. Not that Hermione could blame them, she knew anything she touched was cursed.

“If it wasn’t for you there’d be no committee.” Andromeda continued sternly. “They all have you to thank, they know that.”

Hermione nodded, not knowing what to say.

“I tried writing, but I haven’t heard from you.”

“Sorry,” she said apologetically. “We’ve stopped taking out mail, too much…”

Andromeda nodded knowingly. “Say no more. I understand.”

Hermione gave her a strained smile.

“Well, you tell Harry his godson has been asking after him. Every time there’s a knock at the door his hair turns black and he goes running to answer it.”

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said, feeling terrible. They’d stolen Harry a month and every time he’d spoken of his godson since work had called him in. “I’ll tell him, I know he misses Teddy.”

“How about this weekend? Free Saturday?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Great, I’ll see you for tea.”

“He’s gotten so big,” Hermione commented from the shade of the house where she and Andromeda were watching Teddy chase after Harry and Ron.

As she spoke, Teddy caught up to Ron who fell to the ground with a flourish, pretending to be tackled. Teddy screamed with delight, pouncing on him.

Andromeda chuckled at the sight. “Can hardly keep him in clothes. By the time I buy him something and blink he’s already stretching the seams. Going to be tall, like his father.”

Hermione felt her throat go a little tight, as it always did whenever her late Professor was brought up. They were quiet for a moment, watching Harry join in the fun, picking Teddy up by the leg and swing him upside down.

“Have things gotten any better?” asked Andromeda. “You seemed a bit distracted when we spoke.”

Hermione considered lying, but when she looked over found kindness in the older women’s eyes.

“Not really,” she said honestly, the tightness in her throat contracting. “It feels like I can’t say anything, go anywhere without someone using it for slander. Even normal things, like going to the market. We’ve lived together for years, buy the same groceries as we always did and yet somehow now it’s a scandal.”

Andromeda didn’t say anything and Hermione, having pented it all up inside her, continued to let the exhaustion spill from her lips.

“Work always used to be my escape. When they were going on and on about me getting married too young I just put my head down because I knew it was important but now-” she said quickly. “They haven’t fired me but they might as well have. All I’m good for is proofreading and even that is too much involvement sometimes.”

“It’ll get better.”

“Yes, that’s what everyone keeps saying,” said Hermione shortly.

It had, she knew it wasn’t as frequent or vicious. Ron’s work had become enjoyable, Harry back in the field half his days. And yet for her, it felt like a long punishment that hadn’t really started.

“I feel like I’m two separate people. I come home, I see them and everything feels perfect. There hasn’t been a happier time in my life. When I’m with them it’s..” There weren’t the proper words to capture how perfect it was. Even now, hearing their laughter made all her anguish wash away for a second. But then she remembered what she was saying and dropped her eyes to her lap.

“But then I wake up in the morning and I have to drag myself out of bed and into an office where someone has something new to say about me. I’m trying to keep my head down, let something new take over but it’s unrelenting.”

“So then why do it?”

“What?”

“Why continue to put up with it?”

“It’s my job,” Hermione replied. Across the way, she spied Harry listening in with a frown on his face. But the moment he was caught he resumed trying to rescue Teddy from Ron’s clutches.

“It’s just a job,” Andromeda said sternly. “Don’t let your work get in the way of your happiness.”

“What were you and Andromeda talking about?” Harry asked within five minutes of walking in the door to the flat.

“Oh, she was just giving me some advice,” Hermione said distantly. “Have any ideas for dinner? I know we talked about pasta.”

Neither of them answered and when she turned they were looking at one another formulatingly.

“What?” she asked, dread filling her.

“I overheard you,” Harry said boldly and Hermione knew at once he was about to bring up what he’d been eavesdropping on.

“I can’t not have a job,” Hermione argued before he had to confess.

“And why not?” Ron asked, jumping in at once.

“What would I do?” she persisted. “How would I support myself?”

Harry and Ron another exchanged a look.

“You’ll figure something out,” Ron said. “Something you enjoy.”

She had the strange feeling that this conversation had been rehearsed. It reminded her too much of all the times in school she and Ron had devised a strategy on how to handle Harry’s bad mood.

“But that doesn’t answer how I’ll feed myself.”

“Well,” said Harry slowly, glancing at Ron for encouragement. “You are dating two Aurors who make a decent salary-“

“I couldn’t!” Hermione said at once.

“And why not?” asked Ron.

“We’ve only been dating for a few months-“

“We’ve been together for years Hermione, if you don’t trust us by now then we need to have a serious conversation.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you it’s just…well, it’s a lot to ask.”

“It wouldn’t be forever,” Harry put in. “Just until you can figure out what you want.”

“Oh,” Hermione frowned. “I don’t know.”

Ron took her hands in his and looked at her seriously. “We just hate seeing you so miserable. And if you tell is this is what you want to do, that this job makes you happy, that you think you have a future then we’ll never say another word, promise.”

He bent down, kissing her cheek, and Hermione let go of his hands to drape them around his shoulders, nuzzling her nose in the crook of his neck and breathing him in. From the corner of her eye, she saw Harry and grinned at him.

“We agreed for it to be the three of us,” Harry told her, adding his hand in-between her shoulder blades and resting it there. “Let us take care of you, Hermione.”

It was all she could think about for the next week. Hermione had never considered a future where she wasn’t working. She’d figured it’d be one cause after another but each day she went to work was another day she spent sitting at a desk, pushing paper and the prospect of not having to come into the same cubical, stare at the same wall, sounded more and more enticing.

“And how is work?” her father asked over their bi-weekly tea.

She’d been avoiding the topic all morning, had been every week they’d met.

“It’s fine,” she said elusively.

Her father merely hummed his disbelief. Hermione had done her best to shield her father from the shame of it all. But she’d never been as sly as her partners and it was evident her father knew something was up.

“I’m thinking of starting a new career path actually.” Hermione tested the waters.

“Ah,” he said. “Not as challenging as you thought it’d be?”

“Something like that,” she said quietly.

“Perhaps you might think about continuing your education?”

There were post-secondary courses, though hardly anyone from Hogwarts seemed to bother. She’d looked into them at her parents' urging but the pamphlets had been lost in the chaos of wedding planning and the thought set aside.

“Perhaps,” Hermione said in that same elusive tone. 

“House-elfs?” Ron asked when she came home one evening weighed down with every book from the shop that referenced the name.

“You said I should do what makes me happy,” Hermione replied defiantly, making the table rattle as she unloaded her arms. “And I never really finished with them in school, did I?”

Rather than annoyed, Ron looked amused as he steadied the stack that threatened to fall.

“You’re barmy,” he told her fondly, shaking his head. “Does this mean you’re quitting then?”

“Not yet,” Hermione replied, “Just thought I’d do some research, now that I don’t have classes to contend with I really think I might be able to make a difference.”

“You should talk to McGonagall,” Ron told her and she hummed, dividing up the pile. “Didn’t you say Hogwarts has the largest House Elf population in Great Britain?”

Hermione stopped her sorting and stared at him.

“What?”

“I love you,” she told him.

His cheeks turned an adorable twinge of pink. “Oh? Is that what gets you going? House elf facts?”

He stood, entering her space, snaking an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Because I’ve got plenty more. Did you know that House-elves have their own brand of magic?”

Hermione giggled as he nudged the hair from her neck and pressed a kiss to the exposed skin. “You seem quite the expert.”

“Well, I was a founding member of S.P.E.W.” He told her, his breath hot on her neck. “So, I know a thing or two.”

“How’d it go?” Harry asked as Hermione returned from Hogwarts, her bag full of borrowed books, and clutched in her hands a large part of her excitement.

“It was so lovely being back,” Hermione beamed, “Seeing all the students, talking with McGonagall, it made me really miss school.”

“Only been out a year and already she wants to go back,” Ron told Harry and they both chuckled.

“Well, actually McGonagall told me about a course being offered in France this fall. It’s research-intensive, teaches you how to read historical documents and spells to translate old books.”

“That’s brilliant,” Ron told her. “How long does it last?”

“Just until the winter,” she replied, “Well, then there’s a second part in the spring that gets more into modern times and focuses on legal texts.” 

They shared a look of joy. Hermione knew how exhausted she had been with her work, knew it had seeped into their relationship.

“It’s perfect,” she told them, coming over and sitting between them. “Things I might never have learned working. House-elf enslavement is so ingrained into wizarding culture and law, if I’m going to make a change I can’t just condemn the practice, I’ve got to dig deeper and this will teach me how.”

“Brilliant,” Ron echoed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

A wave of relief washed over with their enthusiasm. Weeks now spent fretting over what to do next and yet there was only one thing left to establish.

“I really might have to take you up on your offer,” Hermione said quietly. “I mean, I have savings, enough to cover tuition but-“

“Hermione of course,” Harry assured her. “Bloody hell, I have more money than I’ll ever know what to do with.”

“Rent’s cheaper here than our last place anyway,” Ron pointed out, waving away the worry. “If you’re happy that’s all that matters.”

“I am,” she assured him, kissing the back of his hand as she took it in his and then over to Harry’s cheek. “I honestly am.”


End file.
